President Thanks The People Who Saved His Life

March 31, 1985|United Press International

WASHINGTON — President Reagan, shot four years ago outside a Washington hotel, said Saturday he would not be alive today had it not been for the prayers of the American people and the skill of his doctors and bodyguards.

Marking the fourth anniversary of the assassination attempt in which he was wounded by a bullet in his chest, Reagan opened his weekly Saturday radio address with words of thanks for those who saved his life.

``I wouldn`t be here were it not for the great skill of the medical team at George Washington University Hospital and the bravery of heroes like special (Secret Service) agents Tim McCarthy, Jerry Parr, police officer Thomas Delahanty and Al Antonucci,`` said Reagan, who has fully recovered from the attack.

McCarthy and Delahanty were wounded by the bullets fired by John Hinckley Jr. as Reagan left a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Parr pushed Reagan into his limousine as the shots rang out, not realizing until a short time later the president had been shot.

Antonucci, a bystander, helped wrestle Hinckley to the ground. Reagan noted Antonucci died last May and called him ``a proud American who never asked a thing of others, but who willingly risked his own life to save another.``